Donat Trettle 1881 (dec.), Judge of Probate, Minnesota I Joseph B. Himsl 1888 (dec.), District Judge, Minnesota I Albert H. Klasen 1893 (dec.), Judge of Probate, Minnesota I Edward J. Devitt ’34 (dec.), Federal Judge, Minnesota I Lloyd O. Stein ’35 (dec.), District Judge, Minnesota I Earl J. Meinz ’36 (dec.), Judge of Probate, Minnesota I James Cunningham ’38 (dec.) I Norbert J. Muggli ’41 (dec.), District Judge, North Dakota I John M. Knapp ’43 (dec.), Judge, Tax Court, Minnesota I Donald E. Shanahan ’45 (dec.), District Court Judge, Minnesota I Robert G. Renner ’47 (dec.), Federal District Judge, Minnesota I Paul J. Doerner ’48 (dec.), Judge, Minnesota I Roger J. Nierengarten ’48, Appeals Court Judge, Minnesota (ret.) I John E. Simonett ’48 (dec.), Supreme Court Justice, Minnesota I Robert J. Breunig ’47 (dec.), District Court Judge, Minnesota I Donald A. Gray ’49 (dec.), District Court Judge, Minnesota I Joseph A. Harren ’49, District Judge, Minnesota (ret.) I Rainer Weis ’49 (dec.), District Court Judge, Minnesota I John A. Althoff ’52, District Judge, Colorado (ret.) I Richard L. Kelly ’52, District Court Judge, Minnesota (ret.) I Robert J. Ryan ’52, Judge, Minnesota (ret.) I Clinton W. Wyant ’54 (dec.), Judge, Washington, DC I Kenneth G. Ziebarth, Jr. ’54, Judge of Superior Court, California (ret.) I Lawrence A. LeClerc ’55, District Judge, North Dakota (ret.) I George R. Corsiglia ’57, Circuit Judge, Michigan I John J. Weyrens ’57, District Court Judge, Minnesota (ret.) I James B. Gunderson ’58, 10th Judicial District Judge, Minnesota I Michael J. Haas ’58, Judge, Cass County, Minnesota (ret.) I Norman Backes ’59, District Court Judge, North Dakota (ret.) I Vernon J. Rausch ’59 (dec.), Administrative Law Judge, Minnesota I Daniel M. Kammeyer ’60, Judge, Minnesota I Richard W. Sabers ’60, Supreme Court Justice, South Dakota (ret.) I Franklin J. Knoll ’62, Judge, District Court, Minnesota (ret.) I Robert A. (Jim) Randall ’62, Appeals Court Judge, Minnesota (ret.) I Richard T. Jessen ’63, District Court Judge, Minnesota (ret.) I Kim R. Johnson ’63, District Circuit Judge, Minnesota I John C. Lindstrom ’63, District Court Judge, Minnesota I Richard J. Ahles ’64, District Court Judge, Minnesota (ret.) I James W. Hoolihan ’64, 7th Judicial District Judge, Minnesota I Paul A. Markson, Jr. ’65, District Court Judge, Colorado (ret.) I Stephen J. Askew ’66, District Court Judge, Minnesota (ret.) I Timothy J. Baland ’66, Judge, 7th Judicial District, Minnesota (ret.) I Roger J. Quinn ’66, Chief Judge, 10th Judicial District, Minnesota (ret.) I Neville K. Adderley ’67, Justice, Commonwealth of the Bahamas Supreme Court I Michael D. Ryan ’67 (dec.), Justice, Supreme Court, Arizona I Jack Van de North ’67, Judge, Ramsey County District Court, Minnesota I Michael T. Decourcy ’68, Judge, Ramsey County, Minnesota (ret.) I George M. Gaffaney ’68, Administrative Law Judge, Minnesota I Harold W. Schultz ’68, Workers Compensation Judge, Minnesota I Stephen M. Swartz ’68, Judge, Douglas County, Nebraska (ret.) I Ronald E. Goodman ’69, District Judge, North Dakota (ret.) I Michael J. Kraker ’69, District Judge, Minnesota I Thomas F. Haeg ’70, Court Referee, Hennepin County District Court, Minnesota I Thomas J. Gmeinder ’70, Conciliation Court Judge, Minnesota I Michael J. Howlett Jr. ’70, Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois I Thomas P. Knapp ’70, Judge, 7th Judicial District, Minnesota I Gen. Mike Marchand ’70, Chief Appellate Judge, U.S. Army (ret.) I Donald J. Venne Jr. ’70, District Court Judge, Minnesota I Timothy K. Connell ’71, District Court Judge, Rock County, Minnesota I Jeffrey L. Flynn ’71, District Court Judge, Minnesota I Lewis M. Nixon ’71, Circuit Court Judge, Cook County, Illinois I Michael J. Grigsby ’72, Municipal Court Judge, Marysville Municipal Court, Ohio I David W. Peterson ’72, District Court Judge, Redwood County, Minnesota I Gerald J. Seibel ’72, Pistier Court Judge, Minnesota I William P. Balestri ’73, Associate Circuit Judge, Illinois I Joe L. Hegel ’73, District Judge, 16th Judicial District, Montana I Brian P. Moehn ’74, District Court Referee, Hennepin County Juvenile Court, Minnesota I James N. Duvall ’75, Judge, Buffalo and Pepin Counties, Wisconsin I Michael A. Fahey ’75, District Judge, Scott County, Minnesota I Gary P. Mesna ’75, Compensation Judge, Minnesota I Jay D. Carlson ’76, Judge, Todd County, Minnesota I Gary J. Pagliaccetti ’76, District Judge, Minnesota I John H. Scherer ’77, Judge, Stearns County, Minnesota I Frank L. Racek ’79, District Court Judge, Cass County, North Dakota I Hon. Steven R. Schwab ’79, District Court Judge, Freeborn County, Minnesota I William J. Cashman ’82, Stearns County Judge, Minnesota I Thomas F. Mulvahill ’84, District Court Judge, Colorado I Geoffrey W. Tenney ’93, Judge, Wright County, Minnesota By John Rosengren ’86
Your Honor The list of Johnnie judges reads like a Who’s Who. It includes supreme court justices in several states and the Bahamas as well as U.S. district court judges nationwide. Many on the list have become household names to those in legal circles—from District Court Judge Robert Renner ’47 and Minnesota Supreme Court Justice John Simonett ’48 to District Court Judges Frank Knoll ’62 and Steve Askew ’66. The tradition hails back to our first Johnnie of record on the bench, Donat Trettle 1881, a Minnesota probate judge, and spans the centuries to the most recent appointment, Wright County Judge Geoffrey Tenney ’93. In this article, we highlight a handful of current judicial appointments. All of them arrived at Saint John’s—often with other career ambitions— and went on to reach the pinnacle of their profession after embarking on a career in law. What do they have in common? Saint John’s not only influenced their professional path; its intellectual and moral education continues to direct their work.
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